By Bob Marovich The Journal of Gospel Music was saddened to learn from social media posts by Gayle Lecus and Kurt Carr that gospel's Troy Sneed has passed away. Reports indicate his passing was from contracting COVID-19. Here is a quick bio on Sneed from the Malaco Music Group website: [...]
By Bob Marovich Dennis Bines informed the Journal of Gospel Music that Dr. Jonathan Greer II passed away on Saturday, August 31, 2019. Home going arrangements will be announced as soon as they are known. Meanwhile, here is a brief bio on Dr. Greer, written by me for the Malaco [...]
Marcel West of Detroit, Michigan, informed the Journal of Gospel Music that gospel singer Tessie Hill-Ackey passed away on July 28, 2019. Born October 9, 1934, in Monroe, Georgia, Madame Hill migrated at a young age to Detroit, Michigan. She later became lead vocalist of the choir at the church [...]
Roberta Martin Singers Didn’t It Rain / Only a Look / The Old Ship of Zion: 1947-1962 Fremeaux & Associes (release date: February 2019) www.fremeaux.com By Bob Marovich Roberta Martin is to today’s enthusiasts of gospel music what writers like James Joyce and Henry James are to today’s enthusiasts of [...]
The Dali-esque artist who painted nearly 200 Savoy Records album covers during the 1960s--the majority for the label's gospel series--and signed his work "Harvey" with no surname, has been somewhat of a mystery to record collectors. On David Peterkofsky's For Keeps podcast, Robbie Rogers shines a light on who Harvey [...]
Miami Mass Choir Miami Mass Choir Live at the Adrienne Arsht Center MaJo Records (release date: December 9, 2016) Available from online music retail outlets By Bob Marovich Having fun while worshiping is the overall impression one gets listening to Miami Mass Choir Live at the Adrienne Arsht Center, the [...]
Calvin Bridges as told to JGM's Bob Marovich Looking back, I think God set me up to be in gospel music. In the neighborhood where I grew up, on the West Side of Chicago, there was the Holloway Community Choir. I lived around the corner from them. I would go [...]
Only A Look k1llergoddess angie Ronald L. Greer Westbow Press (231 pages) www.rongreerbooks.com By Bob Marovich It seems odd, at least at first glance, that in the more than forty years since the death of Roberta Martin, one of the most important pioneers of modern gospel music, nobody has written [...]
By Bob Marovich JGM heard from Anthony Heilbut ("The Gospel Sound," "The Fan Who Knew Too Much") and gospel singers Ron Barrett and Darryl Reed that gospel songwriter and pianist Eddie Williams passed away. Williams, an accompanist for the Caravans, authored the famous Chicago group's big hit, "Lord Keep Me [...]
Photo Credit: Facebook By Bob Marovich JGM is saddened to report that Dr. Clarence "Mr. Gospel" Eggleton has died. A Bay Area resident, Eggleton taught, sang, directed, played piano, and was a gifted composer of more than 500 songs recorded by some of the gospel industry's top artists, [...]
